Gillespie continues fight to end abuse of seclusion rooms in schools

SPRINGFIELD – As classes resume in-person, State Senator Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) passed legislation in the Senate Education Committee to ban the abuse of restraints and seclusion rooms in schools.

“With students returning to physical classrooms, our children should not fear that their basic dignity will be stripped away,” Gillespie said. “I remain committed to ending the inhumane practice of prone restraint and the abuse of seclusion rooms.”

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Collins pushes for clear truancy policies for schools

SPRINGFIELD – Schools would be required to maintain consistent truancy policies and communicate them to parents annually under a plan from State Senator Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago), which passed a Senate committee Tuesday and is set to be debated before the full Senate.

“Studies conducted in recent years have shown again and again that absences are a major barrier to educating so many of our students, and that the reasons they occur are complex,” Collins said. “The first step in addressing this has to be establishing truancy policies that are clearly communicated to families. We must be compassionate and consistent in how we approach absences.”

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Cullerton, Glowiak Hilton welcome multiple improvement projects to DuPage County

VILLA PARK –State Senators Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) and Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) are excited to see incoming improvements to roads and bridges in their communities after last week’s announcement from the Illinois Department of Transportation regarding funding for infrastructure investments in DuPage County.  The projects come as a part of the bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program.

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Castro, Hunter proud to be part of the first state to extend full Medicaid benefits to mothers 12 months postpartum

CHICAGO – After months of work to extend health care access to more Illinoisans, members of the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus are celebrating the extension of Medicaid coverage for new mothers from 60 days to 12 months postpartum. Illinois is the first state in the nation to extend coverage to ensure low-income mothers receive the support they need in the critical months following birth.

“We know that a significant share of pregnancy-associated deaths are preventable, and in 2021, mothers should absolutely not be dying from preventable causes after they give birth,” said State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin), who sits on the Senate Committee on Healthcare Access and Availability. “Extending Medicaid benefits to mothers for 12 months postpartum is a critical step toward reducing the maternal morbidity and mortality rate.”

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